Marlon’s hustle to survive

Marlon wears a custom mask in a park in Los Angeles in April. An undocumented immigrant from an Indigenous K'ich'e community in Guatemala, he came to the U.S. in search of a better life. “Ten years ago, they killed one of my sisters in Guatemala. That is the hardest thing in my life. You have an option: You are going to stay there, and you know in two or three years maybe you don’t survive — or leave your family, and risk your life to cross the border. But then you confront another struggle.”

Marlon gives a haircut during a house call in Los Angeles’ Central Alameda neighborhood. “That job (cutting hair) is really good, but you can’t support your family. You can have a little bit here and send a little bit to your family in another country, but it’s not enough. That’s why I have two jobs.”

Marlon cuts a mechanic's hair during a house call at a car repair shop in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Marlon sells masks on a street corner, using a mannequin head to display them. “I feel healthy. I go to the street, God covers me,” he said. “I feel healthy physically, but mentally, not so much, because a lot of things changed in my life: paying my rent, sending my family money, worrying about bills, my son, everything. But I know we can win; we just have to fight. But it’s not easy working on the streets.”

Marlon sells masks on a nearly empty LA Metro train in April.

Marlon waits to exit an LA Metro train after selling masks to riders.

Marlon accepts payment during a house call from a longtime customer of the barbershop where he used to work.

Marlon lifts a rock in a canyon near the Los Feliz neighborhood where he runs 10 miles from downtown.

Marlon discusses the pandemic with two clients after making a house call to cut hair at an auto mechanic garage in Los Angeles.

Marlon returns to the small apartment he shares with his brother after selling masks on the street in downtown LA.

Marlon cuts hair as night falls in the South Los Angeles neighborhood of Central Alameda, where many Central American immigrants live. “Most barbers charge $20, but I’m only charging $10,’ he said.

Marlon on an early morning run en route to Bronson Canyon, where he often exercises. Marlon, who likes to spend time outdoors, ran his first marathon last year. “One of my points is to show (anti-immigrant people) that even though there’s a lot of bad things, I still give my best. I want to try to change my life. I didn’t go to school. Because my father passed away when I was 10 months old, I didn’t know my father. I saw my mom struggle to support us, and I promised myself that I have to live, to do something. I want to show other people we can do good things, even though you struggle with a lot here.”

Marlon is seen in the window of the small apartment he shares with his brother before sunrise one early morning in April.